Kenny Ch. 04-05

Ken was moving the last of his stuff into cabin 6 when his stomach reminded him that he had missed lunch while wandering the grounds and that supper was due any time. If he had had any money he would have run into town for Mickey D or something. He would need to keep some ramen or something in his cabin for times like these. There was some food left in his apartment and he would have that tomorrow night, but for now there was no hope but to go to dinner and maybe he could avoid having to talk to Consuela.

While he was making his last trip Marta and Selena were talking to Consuela.

"What happened honey, why did you get angry with Kenny?"

"He said that he wanted to be friendly, I thought that he was just like the boys in school. When I said that to him he backed off and said that was not what he meant, but by then I was already mad and I wasn't really listening. I knew by the time that he left that I had overreacted, but it was too late. I'm sorry Mrs. Horne, but I saw how you and your sister were with him and I know what you have in mind. I wish I could have someone too, but living out here there is no way to meet anyone nice. Every guy I have met for a long time only wants one thing when they find out I have a child."

Selena spoke up then, "I know sweetie, I never did find anyone after my Rafael was killed. The men up here did not want to raise another man's child and I wouldn't take any less. Maybe we should start going to some dances or something to give you a chance to meet someone."

"That might be nice momma. I will apologize to Mr. Jacobs when I see him again, he really didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm glad that is taken care of Connie," Marta said. "I didn't think Kenny would have done what you thought; Marcia says that he was always very shy with the girls at school. From what she says that bitch of a wife he had is the only woman he has ever been with. He was helping her with what he knew was another man's child and the only time she let him sleep with her she complained all through it.

"Yes, Marcia and I intend to have him scratch our itch, but he will benefit from it as well. The boy needs to feel wanted. All he has ever known is derision and rejection. You don't have to be friends with him Connie, but please be polite."

"Yes ma'am, I understand."

When Ken stepped in the door of the main house he was surprised to see Consuela waiting for him.

"I am sorry Mr. Jacobs; I had no reason to be angry with you when you were just trying to be nice. The boys at my school would say much the same thing as you did when they were being nasty to me; but I know that you did not mean it that way."

"That's okay Consuela, I'm sorry that you got upset. Let's just make believe it never happened."

"Thank you sir, you are too kind."

"Please Consuela, I guess I can live with you calling me Mr. Jacobs, but please don't call me sir. I am nobody special, just the maintenance man."

"Okay Mr. Jacobs, if you insist. Shall we go to dinner now?"

Saturday morning Ken was awoken by a polite tapping on his door. When he opened the door he confronted Consuela.

"You are missing breakfast Mr. Jacobs. Did you move down here because of me?"

"I'm sorry Consuela, I forgot to set the alarm in this cabin; it won't happen again. I'll be there in a few minutes. I could have missed breakfast; hell I could miss a bunch of meals and it wouldn't do me any harm."

"Mother and Mrs. Friedman say that if you are going to lose weight you should eat all your meals with us, and not to miss any; it causes your body to hoard calories. You didn't answer my question Mr. Jacobs."

"Yes Consuela, I moved down here to avoid bumping into you all the time. I didn't want to cause you any more distress."

She looked up at him, "You didn't have to do that, but it probably was a good idea. Mother and I get up very early sometimes and we may have disturbed you. Stefan wakes up in the night crying sometimes too and I would hate for him to disturb you."

"I would almost welcome the sound of a child crying Consuela, it would remind me of Mallory."

"Well, it still is probably for the best." She then turned around and walked away.

Ken left right after breakfast and had all of his clothing and what items he wished to keep packed into the back seat of the truck before he had to go to work. The complex manager came by to complain about the large truck being in the parking lot and Ken informed him that he wouldn't be back after that night. Actually it was that afternoon; he had been right about the mall management tossing him out when he gave his notice.

Having no intention of gifting the apartment complex with any worthwhile furniture, Ken loaded it all into the back of the truck and figured that on the way out to Carmel he would drop it all off at Goodwill. He didn't need anything more than what was already in the cabin. His last act on the way out of the complex was to clean out his mailbox. He would submit a change of address at the post office Monday. He didn't even look at the mail until after dinner that night.

Mixed in with the bills and advertising were two sour apples. One was a letter from Belinda saying that his visitation rights to Mallory had been revoked, and he was being reported to the State for not sending support checks. Also in the mix was a notice from the State of California that he was being entered onto the rolls as a deadbeat dad and that garnishment proceedings were underway. Apparently Belinda had told them that he was 6 months behind on payments. He worried about it for a while, and then took the letters to see Marta.

She and Marcia met him in the study. "Is this correct Kenny, are you that late with your child support payments?"

"No way, I have sent her money orders every month since the divorce was final 8 months ago. I am about a week late now, but that is all."

"Do you have any receipts to show this?"

"I have the stubs from all of the money orders. I made them out to Belinda and we should be able to show that they were cashed by her."

Marcia asked, "Why did you use money orders, why not checks?"

"Belinda cleaned out the bank account when she left and once I paid off the bounced checks I closed it out to keep her from accessing it again. Now I have to cash my paychecks at Walmart."

"Get me those receipts Kenny," Marta said. "I'll have my husband's firm take this up on Monday. They have already been looking into your situation, but there hasn't been time for any answers yet. You relax honey; I'll make sure that this is taken care of. On another front, how would you like to accompany Marcia and me to an auction tomorrow? I'm looking to get some new stuff for the cabins. The auction is at a resort that failed. We can use your opinion and strong back."

"Do you want to take the truck?" Ken asked.

"Does the air work in that beast? If it does, then yes, if not we'll take my Mercedes."

"It works fine Marta, I used it today."

The next day they drove up to San Jose to the auction and bought new beds for all of the small cabins. Marta would have to buy new mattresses as well as the new beds were larger than those in the cabins now. The small cabins had always been meant as single person units and were supplied with twin beds. There was room in them for double beds and that is what Marta bought. She couldn't help but think that she or her sister would not be very comfortable in a twin bed with Kenny. There was not enough room for a queen sized bed, but a double was possible. She was also able to buy comfortable recliners for all of the units and some night stands that would look good with the present decor. She wanted some more continuity between units, right now each one was decorated individually and the result looked like a hodge-podge of design. Overall it was a successful day.

They stopped and got some fresh fruit and vegetables on the way back and Selena crafted a fantastic salad from them.

After dinner the sisters asked Ken to play cards with them in the family room. Marcia noticed that whenever it was not his turn, Ken was looking out the glass doors. When she turned to look, she saw Consuela and Selena playing in the pool with Stefan.

"She is very beautiful, isn't she Kenny?"

"Hmm?"

"Connie, you keep watching her in her swim suit."

"Yes, yes she is nice. But I'm not watching her so much as I am Stefan; he is having so much fun. I used to play with Mallory in a wading pool in the back yard. She sounded just like he does. I miss my little girl; I miss playing with her and I miss holding her when she cried and when she slept. I can forgive Belinda for everything she did or said, but not for taking my baby girl away. I miss her so much." Ken reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. As he opened it he said, "Here is a picture of my little Mallory. See how pretty she is?"

Both women looked at the picture, "Oh my, she is a cute one." Marcia said. "Is that her mother, Belinda there behind her?"

"Yeah, that's her. I have been tempted to cut her out of the picture, but at the same time, she is Mallory's mother."

"How can I say this Kenny? Isn't she a little plain?"

"Say it how it is Marta, she is overweight and homely. That is one reason I went ahead and married her. I thought that maybe if I treated her like a princess and took care of her, she would learn to like me and to enjoy being with me. I know that this is the only kind of woman I can get, so I took a chance. I certainly would never expect an attractive woman to stay with me after she got what she wanted, I just didn't know that Belinda was such a bitch. I was lonely enough that I was willing to try it, and I failed. I wish that she had been willing to leave Mallory with me, or at least stay close enough that I could see her."

"But, you know that you are not really the child's father. Don't you want to get rid of the responsibility for her?" Marta asked.

"Don't ever say that. I am her father. I do not give a damn whose seed got to Belinda, I am Mallory's father. She bears my name and I want to have something to say about her life. It would have been nice for my mom to know that she had a granddaughter and to be able to meet her. I didn't want to tell mom about Mallory until I was sure that the marriage had a chance to work, and then it was too late."

The intensity in his voice left no doubt in either woman's mind about their young friend's intentions toward his daughter. The statement basically put an end to the evening's activities. No one was in a mood to continue.

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Monday morning Ken found out about the exercise program his employer had in mind for him. There was nothing too strenuous, just enough to use up more calories than were going into him with the wonderful cooking of Selena. This was the same basic program the sisters had used to such effect, and indeed they were continuing with it. They had gotten into the habit of being healthy and could see no reason to stop.

Ken established a routine. In the morning he would work on the landscaping, in the afternoon the cabins got his attention. When the furniture from the auction arrived on Wednesday there was room to put it because he had moved the old stuff to the barn preparatory to calling a veteran's organization to pick it up for charity.

Ken was tired enough at the end of each day that he was able to pick up reading again. Before then tensions had been so much that he was unable to concentrate on a book; now he could once again enjoy a good read.

Tuesday Marta heard from the law firm. They had caught Belinda in the lie; all of the money orders had been cashed at her parent's bank. They had an investigator looking into her finances to determine whether or not any of the money was going to Mallory. They were also working at getting Ken a visitation set up. When he told Marta that he could not afford a trip to Boise, she informed him that they were going to bring Mallory here, with or without Belinda. It would be their treat, and he was not to object. End of subject.

Thursday night Ken was lying in bed dreaming of seeing his little girl again, when he heard something outside of the cabin, it sounded like voices, male voices.

Ken had taken to wearing shorts and a T shirt to bed in case one of the women woke him up in the morning. He didn't want them to see the flab of his belly. Ken quietly sat up and slipped on the sandals he used as house shoes. He stepped over to the window and peered through the curtain. The voices were moving away from him toward the main house, and he could just make out what looked to be three shadows in the partial moonlight.

He quickly went out the back door to where his car was parked, and took the police baton out of the back seat. Stepping around the end of the cabin he approached the intruders via a round about path keeping within the shadows and behind bushes whenever possible. As he got close to them, the intruders stopped by the door to the main house and crouched to talk.

"Okay, I've got the key I snatched for this door. I was going to rob the bitches one night when they were gone, but now that they got me fired, I'm going to do a lot more. You guys can have the Mexican slut, but I'm going to get me some Milf pussy. Once we get in the door, you help me subdue the old ladies, then there should be a key ring in this mud room that will let you into the cabin the spics use. I already cut the phone lines so they can't call for help. The fat boy that was here before was staying in the cabin next to them, but it looks empty now, so it's just us against 4 women; nothing but fun. Let's go."

Ken thought that he recognized the voice as belonging to the landscaping supervisor, but he couldn't be sure. It didn't matter though; there was no way any of these thugs was going to leave here without help.

With the pow-wow concluded, the leader turned back to the door and held out a key to unlock it. Ken stepped up between and slightly behind the other two men and slammed his hands together as hard as he could, catching each man on the ears and banging their heads together with a loud THUNK. As they fell away from him on both sides, he brought the police baton up and jammed it into the right kidney of the man standing in front of the door. The man immediately stood up straight and turned slightly to the right trying to grab hold of his suddenly painful back. As he tried to see behind him to discover what had caused this pain, the night stick came around and connected soundly with his jaw. He collapsed in a boneless heap.

The thug on the right was trying to sit up, but the baton to the jaw changed his mind the same as it had his leader's. The leftmost would be rapist was up on one knee before a firm strike on his temple dropped him back to the ground permanently.

Ken then moved to the door and used the baton to knock on the jam. He stood watching for movement from the three on the ground as he waited for one of the sisters to come and investigate the noise.

A few minutes later the light came on and Marta stuck her head out of the door. "Kenny? What is going on, and who are those men on the ground?"

It didn't take much explanation before she was calling the police with her cell phone. The crooks of today are going to have to face up to the fact that it will be almost impossible to keep their victims from calling for help. The days when you could isolate someone by cutting their phone lines are gone. Today almost everyone has a cell phone, and some households don't even have a landline system, considering it to be an obsolete and unnecessary technology.

When the police got there, the fools tried to say that they were the victims of an unprovoked attack. They were only trying to get help when their car broke down. The facts were against them though. Their car was found hidden in the trees part way up the driveway; and it started immediately. The bag tied to the leader's belt was stuffed with ropes and gags and that didn't help either. Each bad boy had a large knife as well. The leader proved to be the supervisor that Marta had fired the week before, and the key to her back door that was still clutched in his hand when he was searched sealed the deal. These boys were going away for a long time.

None of this was enough to keep the police from treating Ken as if he were the crook. They took him away to the station in handcuffs to be questioned.

Chapter 5

Friday was a lonngg day. Ken had to give his statement four times. The last time he gave the statement was to a police stenographer and then he was questioned about each and every line in the written version. The police wanted to know how many times he had hit each felon, and they were really interested to find out where he had gotten hold of an official police baton. When he told them that he had obtained the baton when he was working as a security guard, they wanted to know where he had been trained with it. They had to call the Seaside police and have the officer that conducted the training verify it before that line of questioning ended. Marta and Marcia had little to add to the information, having slept through the incident; but they refused to leave Ken's side. Luckily Marta had her husband's law firm to back them up.

Finally it was all over and they were allowed to go home. Ken suddenly realized that that was what it was now, this was home. Selena had prepared a late evening feast in his honor, and she even gave him a kiss to thank him for saving her family. Ken was exhausted by this time and was barely able to enjoy the food before he had to go to bed. He was able to stay awake long enough to shower before crashing on his new mattress.

Sometime later a noise brought him out of a sound sleep. 'Not again' he thought. 'Who the hell could be out there now?'

Then the door to his cabin opened and Marcia stepped in wearing a filmy nightgown, and the light behind her showed that she wore nothing else.

"Mrs. F, what are you doing here?"

"I am here to give the man of the house his due Kenny. I want to give you in love what those men were going to take by force. I want to show you just how much I appreciate what you did."

"You don't have to do that ma'am. That was just part of my job. Your sister explained to me that you did not feel safe before, and she was right to be concerned. I was doing my job, and you don't need to thank me any more than you already have."

"But I do need to Kenny. You saved our lives; words aren't enough to express that kind of debt."

"I wasn't really afraid with the three men Marcia, but you scare the hell out of me. Belinda said that I was a lousy lover, and I wouldn't want to do that to you. You deserve someone suave and good looking, not a slug like me."

"Don't you want me Kenny? Am I not attractive to you? Belinda doesn't count. She didn't want you to be a good lover, I'm sure that someone told her that if she didn't fuck you the marriage could be annulled. If that happened you wouldn't have to send her money. You are a kind and considerate man Kenny, and I am sure that you will be a wonderful lover. If you really wish to reject me, then maybe when Marta comes over here tomorrow night she will have more luck. I've seen how you look at her in her swimsuit."

"Do you really think that Marcia? Do you think that I could be good? I've seen and read all about sex, but I have no experience except the once. I'm too nervous to even be able to think."

"Unlike your ex-wife, I would be honored for you to make love to me. I understand what kind of anxieties you must be feeling, and I'm sure that we can work past them." Marcia stepped closer to the bed and dropped the gown from her shoulders, baring herself to the young man. "Do you find me attractive Kenny?"